Trini Outlaw

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Casinos must go—Manning

Prime Minister Patrick Manning has vowed to put an end to the operation of casinos in T&T.

The PM made his position clear yesterday evening following a walkabout in the Tunapuna constituency.

Manning insisted that if he allowed casinos to stay it would only encourage mafia and organised crime in the country. “This Government will operate on the basis of right and wrong.”

He said similar sentiments were expressed by the country’s first prime minister and founder of the People’s National Movement Dr Eric Williams and that he was only re-enforcing the point.

Casinos are against the law in T&T, Manning said. “And any how you cut it, it does not come out right.”

He said he knows for a fact that many lives and families are destroyed by gambling.

The PM admitted that one PNM minister had a severe gambling problem and that his debt led to his own demise. He said he could call the name, but chose not to.

Manning was yesterday approached by a group of Ma Pau workers who expressed concern about the pending closure of casinos.

He told them he would address the issue.

Look, me aint like fockin gambling too nah.But the real reason is that he fockin teefin son is ah big shot gambler and losing money like sand, just as fast as he raking it in from the fockin taxpayers. And that is the real reason why he want to lick up casinos.I am fockin happy if he does, but gamblin also imcludes fockin horseracing and the whole fockin NLCB, wid dey lotto, play whe and whatever.Ban all that too mudder cont.